God's Building a House

Many in the body treat church like smorgasbords, going from one flavor of church to another until they have had their fill. SOMEHOW WE'RE MISSING THE MARK!

Ask any pastor, church leader "What is your vision?" They will begin to list.

"to reach the city"

"win the lost"

"preach the gospel"

So hearing this, we have got to wonder why so little is accomplished?

All the prophecies? Our arrows are aimed in the right direction. We generally are talking about the right things.

So what if God were to take away from the church everything he NEVER told us to do.

David wanted to build God a house, but the Lord had a different idea. He said, "I AM GOING TO BUILD YOU AHOUSE"!

David's desires were good and his goals seemed right, but he learned it was not God's order, the Lord had a different idea, "I am going to build you a house."

I believe the church has lost its focus. God wants to focus us, to bring us into alignment in our houses and ministries.

The vision is our target, but God's order must be defined and automatic in us.

If you asked Paul, "What is your vision"? He may have said "I want a REAL relationship with Christ. What-ever it takes I want to know him."

Canada is ripe for Revival

After being in Thunder Bay and Prince Albert over the last couple of weeks, I am convinced that Canada is ripe for revival. I believe people are sick of playing church and are ready to be the Church.

I have watched people in these towns come from hopeless situations to the living hope, Jesus Christ. 30 people in Thunder Bay walked to the altar of salvation. People are starting to see hope.

This truly is a year of transition. The Church is advancing. What a joy to be alive and serving Jesus! Is there warfare? Yes, but the reward is worth it!

Yours for revival,
Pastor Francis Armstrong

Come Up Here!

Hebrews 5:7

“Who, in the days of His flesh, when He had offered up prayers and supplications, with vehement cries and tears to Him who was able to save Him from death, and was heard because of His godly fear”

Jesus prayed loud, desperate prayers and at times shed tears. And because of His Godly fear, God heard Him. He knew that prayer is the seat of government. So when His disciples said, “Lord, teach us to pray,” He took them to the seat of government.

“Our Father in heaven…” He took them to the throne of God talked about in Revelation 4, Daniel 7 and Ezekiel 1.

He was telling them that they needed to become more familiar with the Revelation 4 realm, that they must become rooted in eternity.

Church, the call is to “come up here!” and His cry is still going out. Jesus is that door that opens the way to the Father, let’s go through!

Yours for revival,

Pastor Francis Armstrong

Is Canada ripe for revival?

We have just finished Passover and as I reflect today, I am so thankful for the cross of Jesus Christ because it brings men and women to a point of decision about their life.

Several people made the decision to commit their life to Jesus this weekend.

Could one of them be the next Josiah? Or Hezekiah or Billy Graham?

Who knows but God. All I know is that I have seen God change many lives, as shown by our illustrated sermon on Sunday morning, as we showed what people were like before Christ and then after. It was powerful!

So is Canada ripe for revival? I say, Yes! Let this year spark a revival fire across this country, like never before.

Yours for revival,

Pastor Francis Armstrong

Passover

Here we are, just days before Passover and as I reflect on it I can’t help but be thankful. For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life.

I deserved hell for my sin but because of the blood of Jesus, there was a Passover. Because of that blood, you and I can stand saved, healed and delivered.

So knowing this as Christians, let's stop being stuck in the past. Past mistakes, past sin, past failure. There has been a Passover for you. Jesus is our Passover Lamb. LIVE in your forgiveness and watch what God will do to and through you.

Yours for revival,

Pastor Francis Armstrong

WILDERNESS TIME

In Hosea chapter 2, it talks about God bringing His people into the wilderness. The wilderness can be a scary place, dry, desolate, wild animals, etc. You get the picture…

But what we must know is that God brings His people into the wilderness, not to strip them bare or point the finger and dig up old wounds or torment them for past sins. The point of the wilderness is to free you. Free you from the attachments to lesser and damaging things. Wilderness time is not primarily about the pain and struggle; it’s about you getting closer to God.

Hosea 2:14-16
14 “ Therefore, behold, I will allure her,
Will bring her into the wilderness,
And speak comfort to her.
15 I will give her her vineyards from there,
And the Valley of Achor as a door of hope;
She shall sing there,
As in the days of her youth,
As in the day when she came up from the land of Egypt.
16 “ And it shall be, in that day,”
Says the LORD,

“ That you will call Me ‘My Husband,’
And no longer call Me ‘My Master,’

So in that wilderness comes a door of hope, take it and walk through to your promised land.

Yours for revival,
Pastor Francis Armstrong

The Life of Faith

I’m not sure how you feel but I don’t like mundane or boring routine. I feel life should be exciting and unpredictable. Serving Jesus should be an awesome life, but religion has made it boring and full of routine.

I say let’s break it!

Noah was a farmer and God came to him and said, “Build a boat, it’s going to rain!” Here is the problem, if I’m Noah, “What’s boat?” and “What’s rain?” Noah was being asked to build something he had never built, for something coming that he had never seen.

Folks, that is called FAITH!

By faith Noah, being divinely warned of things not yet seen, moved with godly fear, prepared an ark for the saving of his household, by which he condemned the world and became heir of the righteousness which is according to faith. (Hebrews 11:7)

Faith breaks the routine and brings us into another world where all things are possible. Would you not rather live in that world? I know I would.

Yours for revival,

Pastor Francis Armstrong